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Haringey police to donate stolen bikes to young people

Borough Commander Victor Olisa will pledge an annual donation of bicycles to young people in Haringey at a meeting on Thursday evening.

Olisa is expected to make the announcement at the Haringey Citizens Assembly at Highgate School.

Bicycles that have been stolen and recovered by the police but remain unclaimed by their original owners are usually sold in a police auction, but any unclaimed bikes will now be donated to a summer project run by Holy Trinity Church in Tottenham.

The church will train young people how to repair and recondition the bikes, with the aim of selling them.

Sophie Stephens of Citizens UK said: “This is an exciting way of building relationships between the young people of the community and the police”.

The money raised from the bike sales will be donated to the CitySafe scheme, which encourages shopkeepers to offer their premises as a safe haven to anyone who feels in immediate danger.

CitySafe was started in Tottenham after the riots and there are now three CitySafe Zones in Tottenham, West Green and Bounds Green.